Renowned for such works as No Exit and Being and Nothingness, Jean-Paul Sartre was one of 20th-century France's most iconic and controversial men of letters. David Drake's biography provides a whirlwind tour of Sartre's life and thought, touching upon his complex relationship with Simone de Beauvoir, lifelong political activism, his rejection of the Nobel Prize for Literature, and his engagement with communism. A chronology of Sartre's life and a list of his works are also included, along with 35 black and white photographs.